Terahertz irradiation-induced motility enhancement and intracellular calcium elevation in human sperm in vitro
Chao Wei1,2, Yucong Zhang1,2, Rui Li1
1Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Qiaokou, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.
Abstract:
To date, there has been limited evidence to reveal the effect of terahertz radiation on sperm. In this study, semen samples were collected from males who had just finished a prepregnancy computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA). The motility, intracellular concentration of free Ca2+ and DNA integrity of sperm with or without terahertz (0.1 to 3 THz) irradiation at 60 µW/cm2 were assessed. We found that terahertz irradiation for more than 5 minutes significantly increased the progressive motility percentage of sperm, and the DNA integrity was not changed. We also found that the effect of terahertz irradiation on spermatozoa was weakened by reducing the concentration of extracellular calcium ions or by blocking calcium channels.
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